Just blocks from the White House, two West Virginia National Guard members were ambushed and critically wounded in what authorities are calling a brazen, targeted shooting that sent shock and fury through the heart of our capital. The attack happened near Farragut Square on the afternoon of November 26, and Americans watched in disbelief as the very troops deployed to protect our streets became the victims of a cold-blooded assault. This was not a random brush with violence — it was an attack on uniformed men and women serving our country on American soil.
Law enforcement has identified the suspect as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who came to the United States in 2021 under the Operation Allies Welcome evacuation and was later granted asylum in April 2025, according to multiple reports. The victims have been named as Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe and Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, both newly sworn-in West Virginia Guard members who were doing their duty near the White House when they were brutally shot. The facts emerging so far should set off alarm bells in every congressional office that greenlit the mass, expedited resettlement program.
Video reviewed by investigators and witness accounts depict a disturbing ambush: the attacker reportedly came around a corner and opened fire, and other Guardsmen rushed to tackle and restrain him after a short exchange of gunfire. The suspect had driven across the country from Washington state to carry out the assault and was severely wounded before being taken into custody; authorities say one or more guard members returned fire. That kind of premeditation and willingness to strike military personnel raises questions about motive, radicalization, and how someone with this background passed through our resettlement system.
Federal officials are investigating the shooting as an act of terrorism, and prosecutors have already filed assault charges that could be upgraded depending on the victims’ prognoses. The FBI executed search warrants and is probing the suspect’s ties and travel, while the Trump administration swiftly ordered additional National Guard troops to the capital — an acknowledgement that the safety of our citizens and servicemembers cannot be taken for granted. This response is necessary, but it should be only the beginning of a full accounting of how dangerous loopholes in vetting were allowed to persist.
Let us be blunt: this tragedy is a direct consequence of reckless immigration and resettlement policies that prioritized speed and optics over national security and thorough vetting. Tens of thousands of evacuees were admitted under Operation Allies Welcome during the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, and while many genuinely aided our mission, the system was stretched so thin that dangerous actors could slip through. Americans have a right — no, an obligation — to demand rigorous background checks, transparent oversight, and an end to policies that put our troops and citizens at risk.
There must be accountability from top to bottom. Lawmakers who cheered on open-door programs must answer for the security failures that led to this ambush, and prosecutors must pursue the fullest measure of justice for those who attacked our soldiers. Above all, we must stand with the brave Guardsmen who risked their lives to subdue the shooter — their courage in the face of danger embodies the best of our country and deserves our unwavering support.
This is not the time for squeamishness or equivocation; it is the time for decisive action to secure our homeland, reinforce proper vetting, and protect the men and women who put on the uniform. Americans who work hard, pay taxes, and defend our freedoms should never have to live in fear because policymakers chose convenience over safety. Our nation’s standing and our citizens’ lives depend on getting this right now.
